Mama Steve (A Stranger Things AU story type of thing)

~Thats Just How Life Is, Unfortunately~

Songs:
Easy on Me by Adele
Birthday Cake by Dylan Conrique
do all my friends hate me? by McKenna Grace
Numb Little Bug by Em Beihold
Psycho by Maisie Peters

Dustin's story
"When I was little, my mom died and my dad was too young to be actually smart, so he signed me up for foster care. I jumped from house to house until, eventually, I couldn't handle it anymore. I packed some clothes, some water and some food and escaped the family's stupid Malibu beach house that they adored so dearly. Then I met these nerds a couple hours later and we decided to hitchhike together. We stopped in a couple states to see if any relatives would let us in, but a lot of them just picked up the telephone to call our parents so we just sprinted away each time, hoping for a relative that was actually smart. Mike mentioned some family friends in Indianapolis so I stole a map from a gas station in Oklahoma, and here we are. We found you and now we're in your house. Holy sh*t, that sounds creepy." Steve ran a hand through his hair and said, "Jeez," causing all of them to stare at him, surprised he hadn't immediately asked for Dustin's foster parent's telephone number.

"You want to know my parent's number, right?" Dustin asked, sighing. "No, dude, not at all, I feel you. My parents don't give a sh*t about me either," Steve replied, once again running a hand through his perfectly symmetrical hairdo. "El, you go next, tell your depressing story," Dustin said.

It was in that moment that Dustin knew this guy was different. He didn't ask for his foster parents's number, his dark brown eyes filled with sympathy as he assured Dustin he wasn't going to ask.

The girl with the short brown hair cleared her throat, and the redhead sympathetically patted her shoulder.

El's Story
"When I was born, my father took me to a lab nearby to use me for his experiments, and my mother was practically brainwashed along with being mentally ill. I escaped when I was five, a guy visiting from this town right here, Hawkins, took me in. His name was Chief Jim Hopper, but my father was determined to find me. He did a lot of snooping and sent a whole Russian army to kidnap him, so I ran as fast as I could and I, too, have been in foster care ever since, jumping from house to house. I met Max when we were ten, and we planned our time to escape and went through with it. We met Lucas along the way, and Mike's mother was a friend of my mother, she immediately recognized me and we convinced Mike to come along with us, Will had ran away from his family at an airport nearby, so we picked him up, and then we met Dustin. And just as Dustin said, here we are now. In the house of a guy we barely know," explained El, her eyes glistening with tears.

Steve's eyes widened and said, "Dang, that's horrible. I'm sorry." El looked at him, surprised at his amount of sympathy and respect. It was almost as if....he actually cared about El, and the only people who still cared about El to this day were her new friends, and Mrs. Wheeler, but this guy seemed to genuinely care about her, and it seemed as if he actually sort of understood her. He too, had parents who barely ever acknowledged him, so he knew how that part felt. El could tell just by his vibe.

El just shrugged as the curly haired lanky boy put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Max's story
"I know they tell like, super depressing stories but my story isn't too depressing, really. My parents got divorced, my mom started to fade away, met a horrible, abusive guy and his son and I ran away for my sake. God, I hate it there," Max said, shaking her head. Steve said, "It may not be what you call super depressing, but that's still sad. I'm so sorry."

Max just shook her head.

Mike's story
"Honestly,  I've always been the middle child, my dad likes his lazy boy and his chicken more than anything, so when El, Max, and Lucas came along I told Mom I was going a vacation and she just said okay, I doubt she even misses me. I'm glad I got away, though, it's much better here," Mike said, not looking too sad but the others could tell he was really bothered. El, attempting the lighten up the mood, said, "Mike, don't be too cheesy now," causing everyone to chuckle.

Steve gave Mike a sympathetic look and said, "Bro, I understand. I'm an only child but my parents are too rich for this place and are always traveling. However, it's sad your dad likes chicken more than his family, and I am so darn sorry."

Mike just shook his head and the brunette rested her head on his shoulder, causing the boy to visibly relax.

Lucas's story
"Honestly, I just needed a break from all the bullying and even my little sister bullied me, but I'm practically a wanted man, my family's been trying to reach out to me, but they've never really paid attention to how fake my smiles became and all that sh*t. The closest I had was Erica, my sister, but she wasn't always the best help and my dog, Ivy, who was comforting at bad times, died when I was eight. I was too alone, so I escaped. Mom and Dad are probably worried, Erica's probably rummaging through my stuff, and nobody at school had probably noticed I'm gone," Lucas said as he stared down at his feet.

Steve just shook his head and said, "No offense, but those  actual  jerks. One day, when you're rich and famous, you and will reach out to all thos b*tches and they'll all be so jealous and we'll just be like, Haha suckers!"

"I like you already," Dustin said with a wide smirk.

Will's story
"Honestly, my story isn't too bad. Parents are divorced. Mom's overprotective, Jonathon, my brother, is always worried for me. My dad doesn't care even a little bit about me. One weekend, we took a plane to see Aunt Angel in California and I escaped the airport and met these guys, then contacted my mom to say I was safe. She was outraged, and if I ever go back, I'm grounded for freaking life, I tell you," Will said quietly.

After a couple seconds of silence, Steve asked, "So, who's up for chocolate ice cream, popcorn and a horror movie?"

Everyone cheered.

Hey guys, so don't hate me for everybody's super depressing story, but how else are we gonna get a mother-and-her-children relationship? Btw, things are definitely gonna get lighter from now on. If you are still reading this, you're awesome. Thanks so much for reading, comment suggestions and opinions on this chapter! Also, this is like the longest chapter I've ever written, so yay I guess for that!!!
Bye,
Stories📖
Word Count: 1,206